Love is a Battlefield
by karnythia
Summary: Edward and Bella on their honeymoon. Smutty and rife with D/s oriented images.
1. Chapter 1

I didn't let myself consider the mechanics of 'trying' until a few days before the wedding. It was hard enough to remember why waiting was a good idea when all we were doing was kissing, never mind actively anticipating what would come after kissing. But one day, I glanced at the calendar and realized that amongst all the rush and fervor of Alice's planning, convincing Charlie that getting married was a good thing, and getting ready to move out, I hadn't thought through to what I'd actually be wearing on my wedding night! I debated asking Alice for advice, but in the end that was just too embarrassing to truly be a possibility, so I asked Angela to go with on a quick shopping trip to Olympia. She knew what I was looking for without me uttering a word and it took her all of a minute to make the trip comfortable, and even fun.

"So, what's his favorite color?" She asked as we turn away from a display of wedding lingerie that swung wildly from trashy to boring without ever managing sexy.

"Blue. I think. At least, he likes it when I wear it." I muttered as I slid past a display of leopard print thongs trimmed in black lace "Why are there pink sparkles all over those?"

"Because someone out there is getting paid to provide people with bad taste their own genre of underwear. Let's look for something blue that won't make you feel like you're either on a street corner or in a nursing home," Angela said softly, pulling me toward a display filled with baby doll nightgowns.

"I actually like some of those…who wants to bet they don't have my size?" That would, of course, be my luck.

"If they don't have it, we'll go to Seattle. But you're tiny, so they'll probably have what you need in stock."

We went through the racks and to my surprise, she was right. The three that I liked on the hanger were in stock in my size. More importantly, I now had choices. Trying them on was a little less than fun, though it did help me weed out the one that itched and the one that made my already small breasts look nonexistent.

"It would be the very first one you picked up," Angela said with a laugh after we'd paid and were walking back to my new car. "Hey, if you don't mind me sticking my nose in, I might have some tips to make the unveiling part a little easier."

"Erm," I blushed furiously. "If you don't mind me staring at the floor a lot and being a complete dork, I'll take all the advice I can get. I only have a vague idea of what I'm doing here."

"Does he know or are you both in the same boat?" At the look on my face, she sighed. "I thought so. Okay, first we're going to hit a drugstore, and then we're going to find someplace to sit and talk." She paused, considering. "You do know the basics, right?"

"Yeah, I know the theory and there won't be any surprises nine months from now. I just don't have any practice to make sure that he enjoys what I'm doing. I just want to make sure he likes it since we waited so long." I peeked up at Angela's face and caught a knowing smirk before it vanished.

"He's a man. It's pretty much guaranteed he'll like it. But, if you're looking to blow his mind and make sure you actually like it, there's some stuff I can suggest." She smiled as she led me into the drugstore, guiding me to an aisle near the back that held a mind-boggling assortment of prophylactics and assorted paraphernalia. "First things first. Lube is important. Very important for both of you, that is, if you want to still like him in the morning. Warming lube is more fun than the regular stuff" She handed me a bottle "Ben and I use this one and it doesn't give me any issues, but you should probably only use a little bit at first just to be sure." We walked – well, I skulked in embarrassment, Angela walked – to the counter, and I digested that little tidbit of knowledge.

"I… okay. When did you and Ben? I had no idea." I shoved money across the counter without making eye contact, though I caught the clerk smiling at me as we walked away.

Angela giggled as the blush on my face deepened to a color I was pretty sure didn't have a name "It's not exactly something to announce to the general public. We kept having near misses and finally I decided that we should be prepared just in case, so I went online and looked up stuff. Then I took a deep breath, told him that I was willing, but we needed to be prepared. He'd already bought condoms and so after a few more fumbles it finally happened." She led me to a bench near the parking lot and we both sat down.

"It wasn't as fun as I thought it would be; in fact, it hurt a little, so I did some more research. Then we started experimenting and we finally hit our stride, so to speak. I learned that it takes me a while, so it's easier for him to make me happy if I make him happy first. After that he can focus on pleasing me and by the time I'm ready, he might even get a bonus."

I blinked at her for several seconds before saying "I think I know what you mean, but…"

"But you need me to explain in a little more detail?" She smiled. "No problem. It's just that… the second we head anywhere near the possibility of sex? Ben is ready to go. He says if I smile at him the right way he wants me. However, I need a little more motivation. So, I use my hand, and that lube I had you buy, and afterward he can think straight and we don't need to rush." Angela ducked her head and smiled, "though to be honest, some times it winds up that I enjoy his reactions so much that it doesn't take me as long and I get there a few times."

"Oh…" I pondered her words for a second before the light dawned. "So if I do this first, it's easier for him to stay calm. Cool. I might even get to leave him gasping and goofy for once."

Angela burst out laughing "Oh you will. He'll get all weird at first, and then when he gets close he'll go all dumb and then afterward, he'll get toe tag face, which is awesome. Just be prepared for afterward when he's trying to make you scream." She frowned "It feels good, but I'm always afraid I look crazy. Ben likes it though."

"I think they just like watching us react period. Edward certainly likes watching me blush." I rolled my eyes. "Thank you for this, I was really nervous and now I feel a little less…" I paused trying to find a word to describe exactly what I'd been feeling. Angela knew where I was going though as she finished my sentence for me.

"Less lost? Yeah, they tell us all about the mechanics in school, but no one tells you how to actually do it. But, the thing is? You guys love each other, and in the end that's all that'll matter. Remember, practice makes perfect." She grinned at me, and I couldn't help but grin right back.

It wasn't until much later after we'd driven home and I'd tucked my purchases into the little bag I'd started packing for our honeymoon that it dawned on me that I wasn't dreading the wedding any more. It was still emphatically not my idea of a good time to stand in front of a bunch a people and be stared at while I promised myself to Edward, but it meant I got to be with Edward forever. After everything else I'd already been through, a few hours of being the center of attention wasn't really all that awful of a prospect. I managed to maintain that bubble of calm right up until the point where I was standing in the bathroom of our honeymoon suite getting ready for bed. Of course, that was when every bit of insecurity I've ever had hit me as I stood looking at my reflection. Somehow the prospect of being semi-nude in front of Edward went from exciting to daunting in a matter of seconds.

"Bella, are you okay in there?" Edward's voice drifted through the door "If you just want to go to bed that's okay too." Despite his assurances, I could hear an underlying tone of disappointment and that snapped me out of it a little bit.

"I'm fine. I just have 4,000 pins in my hair. Every time I think I'm done I find another one." It wasn't exactly a lie, I'd planned to have my hair down for tonight so I didn't want hairspray, and in Alice's quest to match my hairstyle to my gown, she had used an entire box of bobby pins. I was pretty sure there were still a couple lost somewhere in my hair that might never be found.

"Would you like me to help? I'm sure your arms are tired by now." He chuckled softly, "I did wonder how she got all that hair to do that today."

I smiled, even though he couldn't see me. "I think my hair is now officially afraid of Alice. I guess they'll find their own way out. I've got most of them." I eyed my already flushed reflection in the mirror and try to remember the way I felt in the store dressing room. Before I could chicken out again, I made myself snatch the door open. Edward was standing there, clad in a pair of pajama bottoms, and for just a second I was too busy admiring his chest to really think about how I looked, scantily dressed with my hair flying behind me.

"I…oh…you…" I looked up when I realized Edward had been reduced to gibbering to find my new husband's eyes glued to my body. Instinctively I moved to cover myself, before I realized that the look on his face was that of a man enjoying the view. Really, really enjoying the view… so much so that he's lost any semblance of composure, and is apparently on the verge of drooling idiocy as his new approach to life.

"Edward? You might want to try breathing. It couldn't hurt to close your mouth too."

"Hmm," he blinked, and shook his head a few times. "I'm sorry. It's just that I wasn't expecting you to be wearing…that. I mean I've seen the commercials and I know they exist, but I hadn't quite gotten my hopes up to the point of actually seeing you wearing anything like this tonight."

"What did you think I was going to do? Wear sweats? I know it's traditional to wear white, but those ones were all ugly and I…" I trailed off.

"I couldn't care less if you never wear white again in your life. You wore it today and that's enough for me." He held out his hand. "I had planned to be very debonair, but now I'm reduced to hoping you don't hold my moment of leering against me."

"Well, that was kind of the plan when Angela helped me pick this out." I grinned, as he led me toward the bed.

"Remind me to buy Angela and Ben something very nice when they get married. Like a house." He sat on the end of the bed and pulled me into his lap. "Do you know that I am the happiest man in the world right now?"

I trailed a finger along his cheek. "I know I'm the happiest woman in the world, so I suppose it makes sense for you to be the happiest man." I couldn't resist kissing that crooked smile on his face, which of course led to a lot more kissing. He didn't stop until I was gasping for air and clutching at his shoulders, trying to hang onto any semblance of rational thought.

"I love you Bella."

"I love you too Edward. What's wrong?"

"Nothing is wrong. I just felt like saying it."

"And…?" I could tell by the look on his face he was editing at least a little bit.

"I just needed a break for a second. You look very beautiful tonight and my self-control only goes so far."

I opened my mouth to engage in our running argument and then I remembered what Angela and I had talked about. This would be the perfect opportunity to try out her advice. "I might be able to help you with that problem. Take off your pants and lay down." I hopped out of his lap to grab the little bottle from my bag in the bathroom.

"Excuse me?"

"Trust me. Just lay back and let me do my thing." I called over my shoulder as I freed the bottle from the bag it was in and discarded the little plastic seal. I walked back around the corner to find Edward still dressed and looking confused.

"What are you planning to do?"

"I am planning to ease your…tension first so that we can enjoy trying." Blushing I held up the bottle. "I have it on excellent authority that guys are ready before girls, so I'm going to even the playing field a little. Now will you please lie down?"

He snatched the bottle from my hand "Bella, when I agreed to try, I rather thought I'd be the one…leading the way." He peered at the bottle "I can't imagine what good this is going to do anyway."

I held out my hand until he gave the bottle back. "That would be why it wasn't your idea. Now, will you please take off your pants and lay down?"

"Not until you tell me what you're planning on doing." He crossed his arms and put on his best stubborn ass expression.

"If you can't put two and two together, then I'd prefer to show you. Just trust me." I gritted my teeth. "I'm perfectly willing to follow your lead afterward, but I'd rather we not have a fight before anyone has any fun."

"A fight? Is that where this is headed?" He eyed me speculatively. "Okay, if I do as you ask without questions then what's in it for me?"

"A damned good time if I do it right. But on the off chance I do it wrong, what else do you want?" I wasn't really in the mood for horse trading, but I figured that whatever he wanted wasn't likely to be too bad.

"How about the joy of a honeymoon where you don't pitch a fit every time I spend a little money on you?" He pursed his lips "And we don't have a fight tonight?"

I had already reconciled myself to his spending habits so it was an easy decision. "Done. Now will you please lie on the bed without your pants on?"

Before I could blink he was lying in the middle of the bed, his beautiful body rigid and all of him exposed to me for the first time. I indulged in a few seconds of… leering before he muttered, "isn't this supposed to be fun?"

"It will be. Though you might want to think about relaxing a little bit before you strain something important, and besides… there's only one part of you that needs to be…stiff." I poured a little of the lube into my hands, mindful of Angela's advice before I climbed up on the bed and straddled his hips. I let my free hand glide from his hips along the muscles of his abdomen. It was easier than I'd expected to touch him now that I was too focused on proving a point to be embarrassed.

His tawny eyes flew open, boring into mine "Be very careful Bella. If I move wrong, I could hurt you very badly."

I sighed. "Okay, so here's what you do. You focus on not moving. And I'll focus on touching all the bits I want to touch. I'll even," I nudged his left leg until he moved it, slid my knee into the space and the repeated the process with his right so that I was kneeling between his thighs, "sit right here so that there's less chance of harm. Not that you were likely to hurt me in the first place. But I want to do this for you, and I'd like it to be fun and not a battle. Okay?"

"Okay." He cocked his head to the side. "I just got to four, and for me to let you attempt what I think you're attempting I want a little more than just you not pitching a fit. Like you agreeing to let me indulge in a few of my pleasures without any… battling on your part. For the whole trip, and not just when it comes to money." He put his arms behind his head as he spoke, awaiting my response. It was unfair that he could look so lovely – he wasn't even dazzling me, and I still couldn't refuse. I was anticipating too much actually getting to touch him.

"Fine, I promise," I stroked the hand laden with lube along his shaft, "to be just as compliant as you're being right now. In fact," I couldn't help smiling when his eyes rolled back as my thumb glanced across the head, "I'll be downright submissive. How's that for a deal?"

His eyes didn't manage to reorient themselves, but he murmured, "I can do submissive." Just like that, the tension poured out of his body and I could feel him relax. I went to work then, trying to remember everything I'd ever learned about male anatomy while paying attention to any signs that he was enjoying what I was doing. I learned a few things immediately, like the fact that touching his balls made him jump a little, and the combination of the warming liquid and my own body heat made his nostrils flair repeatedly, but he stayed completely silent.

It wasn't until I got the bright idea to breathe on the places my hands didn't cover and to use my tongue too that he started making noise. First, it was just a low whiny moan in the back of his throat, but I wanted to hear him breathless and gasping, so I tried a trick I'd read about while gathering… knowledge… online, and combined sucking and stroking with both hands. At first the taste of the lube was a little off-putting, but since I hadn't used much, that faded pretty quickly, though my hands stayed slippery and the reward was enough to make it all worthwhile.

"Oh Bella…oh god…what…I'm…Bellaaaa…" He was groaning and growling now and I sped up, using both hands and my mouth to try to stimulate him everywhere at once. His head was tossing from side to side now, and his arms were flailing, knocking pillows everywhere as I pleasured him. "Belllaaargh…gah…I love…" and then with one final snarling shout he arched his back and drummed his heels and fists against the mattress as I stroked him. I pulled away just far enough to avoid getting anything on my face, but I didn't stop moving my hands until he collapsed back onto the bed. I couldn't keep the smirk off my face as I clambered off the bed and went to wash my hands and get a washcloth for him. I'd done it, and it was pretty clear he'd enjoyed it. He was still quiescent when I came back with the warm cloth and I took a moment to press a kiss against his cheek before I started cleaning off his belly.

"Am I done being submissive yet?" His voice was lower and more seductive than I'd ever heard it, and I felt a shiver run through me when I thought about the bargain we'd made.

"Yeah, you're done. Was it…I mean did you…" I trailed off as he took the washcloth from me and then disappeared in the direction of the bathroom.

"Did I enjoy it? Oh very much so. Of course, it wasn't exactly what I had in mind for tonight, but I'm not complaining. Do I have Angela to thank for that too?" He purred, stalking toward me as I reclined against the headboard.

Instinctively I curled up, resting my chin on my knees "She mentioned that it was something guys like and I thought it might make things easier for you."

"Clearly a house isn't a sufficient gift. Perhaps college for their children and grandchildren too, I'd like to make sure I can repay her properly," he mused quietly. "I am feeling very much in control of myself now. Though remind me never to let you negotiate for anything with anyone else. You're a little too selfless for your own good. You do realize that you traded unquestioning submission to my desires for the next three weeks for a chance to give me an orgasm, don't you?" He slithered onto the bed and I found myself too mesmerized by the sight of him to breathe properly.

"I hadn't really looked at it that way." I frowned. "Crap. I'm really not bright some days." His eyes were past dazzling me and onto completely shutting down my brain when he spoke again.

"Don't worry my love; I'm pretty sure you'll enjoy everything I want to do with you… and to you." His grin was positively evil. "If you don't, just tell me and I'll do my best to improve matters." He shrugged off handedly. "For now I want you to relax. After all, you got to have your fun. Now it's my turn." His hypnotic voice tugged at what was left of my willpower.

On automatic pilot now, I uncurled my body. Somewhere, dimly in the back of my head, I understood finally why he'd been so sure he could lure me to my death that first day in Biology. I knew I could trust him not to hurt me or force me into anything, but at that point trust didn't matter. I couldn't say no. I couldn't say anything. All I could do was stare dazedly into his eyes while he slid a hand under my hips and maneuvered me into the center of the bed.

"There are so many things I've fantasized about, and while some of them will have to wait a while yet, there are others that can happen now. You have no idea how much I've wanted you for the last two years. But you're going to know soon enough." He smiled and stroked my face, pushing my hair back gently before leaning in to kiss me. I vaguely expected the kiss to wake me from my slumber like a princess in a fairy tale. But this kiss simultaneously woke me and pushed me further under his spell. I was bursting with energy and all I wanted was for him to touch me. Anywhere he wanted, for as long as he wanted and he seemed to know that since suddenly his hands were everywhere stoking the energy even higher.

His thumbs found their way to my nipples and I couldn't stop from moaning into his mouth. That seemed to encourage him and suddenly his mouth had left mine and his lips were working their way down my body, then I felt the chill of his tongue circling the place where his right thumb had been. That perked me right up and when I lifted my head, I caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror behind him. It took me a second to grasp that the wanton looking woman with the wide eyes and the swollen lips was me. I couldn't stay focused on that new facet of myself for long though as Edward's right hand had found its way to my hip and was busy working its way to a place it had never been.

He paused at the edge of my blue bikini panties to drive me crazy, stroking his fingers lazily along the inside of my thighs and tracing the patterns in the lace trim until I thought I would have to scream. "Edward please…you're…it's too much and not enough. You're driving me crazy."

He lifted his head from my breast to murmur softly. "Am I really? Hmm, I wonder what I could do to fix that little problem for you…" His eyes gleamed at me wickedly just before he hooked a finger in the side and slid them off me. He held them up for a second. "As pretty as these are, I think I don't like obstacles in my way." Tossing them away, he whispered, "I think I just discovered the first new rule for our honeymoon," before bringing his fingers back to rest on my lower lips. "Pretty little Bella. I think I need you to lie down for me. I want you to be comfortable."

I nodded and started to slide the rest of the way onto my back as he pulled away from me for a second to grab a pillow from the floor. Before I could get myself settled completely, he slid the pillow under my hips and moved so that he was lying between my legs. He didn't give me a chance to react to his intent; instead he used his fingers to hold me open so he could taste me at his leisure. It was all I could do not to clamp my legs around his head as he traced dizzying patterns into my flesh with his tongue. I was aware of a breathy moaning coming from somewhere, but it was not until one of his long thin fingers replaced his tongue that I realized I was the one moaning. It just got louder when his tongue moved to my clit and he slipped a finger into me.

Just when I thought I couldn't take it anymore and the tension was starting to become unbearable, he slid another finger into me. There was a slow twisty motion to his movements that had me chanting, "more, please, more" over and over again, in between moans. I didn't need to see his face to know how much he was enjoying what he was doing to me. I could feel it in every twist and thrust, as he coaxed sounds from me that I never thought I would make. Still, when he sped up and added a third finger, I couldn't stop myself from screaming – especially not when the tension finally broke and it felt like pieces of me were scattered all over the room!

I wasn't surprised to find him cradling me a few minutes later and swearing. I know an explosion like that one would have knocked anyone out. But, when I opened my eyes, I wasn't totally prepared for the pleased grin that spread across his face or, the smug look in his eyes as he spoke. "Hey, you. Are you okay?"

"I'm fine. Just got a little loopy there for a second, but I'm feeling just perfect now."

"Perfect?" He asked with a big smile.

I resisted the urge to roll my eyes, since I knew what it felt like to need reassurance "Yes, it was great. You were great. We have officially tried and it was a success." I yawned. "If you give me a moment we can attempt the big show, where I'm sure you'll excel too."

"In a moment you're going to be asleep. The big show, as you put it, can wait until tomorrow. Our flight's leaving relatively early and I want you to get some rest."

"I need a human moment first and possibly something to drink. I'm feeling parched." He chuckled at me as I made my way to the bathroom while he rummaged in the fridge for a drink.

It was better than I expected when I checked myself out. I was bleeding – just a little bit – and I could tell I might be a little sore in the morning, but all in all everything seemed fine. I cleaned myself up and made my way back to bed. Along the way, I noticed my panties on the floor, and I bent down to pick them up, but Edward was there before me, and they disappeared into one of his hands.

"You wouldn't want to break the rules so quickly would you?" He handed me a glass of cranberry juice, "Here, drink up. And while you're drinking that, let me be very clear about the things that are going to please me on our honeymoon. I don't want you to wear underwear to bed. I do want you to tell me if something is scaring you or hurting you. I want you to eat right and get plenty of rest. Most importantly, I want you to let me take care of you without you trying to stop me or feeling bad about it. Is that clear?"

I took a long swallow of juice as I let his words swirl around in my head. I'd read enough online to have a pretty clear idea of what he wanted, and although a part of me wanted to resist another part of me was just curious enough to give it a whirl.

"I was only going to pick them up. I wasn't planning on wearing them. But, I do like them very much so I didn't want to accidentally forget them. I said I was going to be submissive for three weeks and I will be, as long as submissive does not mean I give up thinking for myself. Okay?"

"Okay." He took my empty glass from my hand and swept me up into his arms "Now, how about you get some rest, my love." I let him lay me down and kiss me gently. I was already drifting away by the time he started humming my lullaby.


	2. Chapter 2

The sound of running water roused me the next morning. I lay there for a few seconds contemplating the light filtering through the curtains and trying to motivate myself to wake up. I made it to sitting up, but before I could force my legs out of bed, Edward strolled out of the bathroom already dressed in jeans and a t-shirt.

He flashed me a big smile before turning to rummage in a suitcase "Good morning, sleepy girl. I ran you a bath and ordered breakfast. You should have time for a little soak before we have to leave for the airport." He was humming a cheerful little tune to himself and I had to fight the urge to throw things at him.

"You are ridiculously perky for it to be first thing in the morning" I grumbled, finally swinging my legs out of bed. I made it to standing before I remembered that I wasn't really wearing any clothes. The nightgown I'd been so proud of the night before felt a little ridiculous in the light of day. I tried to quickly head to the bathroom before he turned around, but the soreness between my legs had me walking slower than normal and he scooped me into his arms before I'd made it more than a couple of steps.

"Whoa, how about you let me handle transportation this morning?" A few quick steps and he had maneuvered me into the steamy bathroom. He sat me down gently on the side of the tub and switched off the taps. "I think I got the temperature right, but check it before you get in. It might be a little too warm." He left the room and closed the door firmly behind him while I was still dipping a finger in the water. It was a little warm, just as he said, but it felt good once I'd gotten the nightgown off and attended to some other human needs. The bleeding had stopped, but I was still hesitant as I tried to sit down and adjust to the heat. Washing was a slow affair and after my hair was clean, I decided to just lie back in the tub and relax, letting my mind drift across our first night together. I was halfway asleep by the time I heard someone knocking at the door and I remembered that breakfast was in the offing. The prospect of food spurred me out of the tub and I managed to dry myself off quickly before throwing on the robe hanging behind the door.

"Bella, your food's here."

"I'll be out in a second." I wrapped my hair in a towel, and opened the door to find Edward waiting to scoop me up again. He was still disgustingly cheerful, but the bath and the prospect of food had improved my mood enough that I no longer wanted to throw things at him.

At least until he sat down on the lone chair in the room with me in his lap and forked up a corner of the French toast he'd chosen for me. As he held it to my lips, I laughed at his cheesiness and reached to take the fork from him. Instead of handing it to me, he deftly caught my wrists in one of his hands and held the bite to my mouth again. I rolled my eyes and ate it, still expecting him to relinquish the fork. After I swallowed the third mouthful I tried to pull my wrists free, only to discover he wasn't the least bit interested in letting me feed myself.

"This is cute and all, but I'm not a toddler. I'm sure you have better things to do than to feed me like one."

"I know you're not a toddler. I couldn't have made the deal I did last night with a toddler." He replied as he picked up a plump raspberry "I think you like these… do you like these?"

"I do. I especially like them when I can eat them at my own pace."

"If I'm going too fast or too slow, just say so," He held the fruit to my mouth until I finally acquiesced and parted my lips. "I'm perfectly willing to adjust my speed to suit you." He smiled at my glowering countenance so sweetly that I almost felt bad.

"But you're not willing to give me back my hands?"

"No. I will adjust the size of each piece, feed you in whatever order you wish, and even put up with your early morning crankiness. But feeding you this way pleases me." His smile was still sweet, but I caught the edge in his voice that reminded me that I'd agreed to his conditions without having the sense to check the parameters of the deal. After indulging in a second of internal profanity, I resigned myself to putting up with his behavior since I really didn't want to fight over something as trivial as how I ate breakfast.

The rest of the meal passed in a companionable mixture of silence and murmured requests for more fruit or a piece of bacon until finally I swallowed the last mouthful of juice. He let go of my wrists, "See, that wasn't so bad now was it?" and hugged me tightly.

"No, it wasn't bad. It is an odd thing to decide you enjoy enough to hold me prisoner." He helped me stand up before sliding out of the chair.

He chuckled softly. "I enjoy a lot of things that involve taking care of you Bella. Get used to it." He was humming again.

"How long before we have to go to the airport?" I asked, shaking out my hair and squeezing the last of the excess water from it with the towel as I walked toward the bathroom to retrieve my hair supplies. Again, I only got to take a couple of steps before he spun the chair to face the mirror in our room and disappeared into the bathroom ahead of me.

"An hour or so," He snatched me up again, this time with my brush in his hand and settled me in front of the mirror. "Plenty of time for you to get ready and we're already packed."

"Are you planning to carry me through the airport too?" I twisted a little in the seat to look at him, "I can walk you know, it's not as bad as you're making it out to be, so you can stop doing that every time I turn around."

"Perhaps, it all depends on how far away the gate is and whether or not every step you take still hurts you." He's smiling, but I know guilt when I see it.

"There's no need for you to be so overprotective." I sigh, "Yes, it's a little uncomfortable, but I've had real injuries that didn't make you hover so much. It's not like this one was a surprise."

"No, but I still don't like knowing that you're hurt because of something I did."

"Something we did – that we enjoyed. More importantly, something I asked you to do. Please don't spoil a beautiful memory with unnecessary and excessive guilt. I don't think I can handle you regretting us enjoying each other."

He pursed his lips and stared deeply into my eyes for a long second. "I'm sorry. I don't regret doing it. It's just…I could smell your blood all night. I think it made me a little crazy to know I was the reason you were bleeding and in pain because of me." He leaned in to brush his lips across my forehead.

"I'm fine. The bath helped and I'm sure in a few hours it won't hurt at all. I'd better get on with turning my hair into something presentable, if we're going to leave for the airport on time. Hand me my brush please?" I asked as I turned back toward the mirror.

The reflection of his eyes met mine and I got a smirk and an uplifted eyebrow in response. "If this is one of those things that you're going to claim you enjoy, we're going to have a problem. And this time you can't hold me prisoner, since dealing with all of this takes two hands."

He shrugged "I tie excellent knots. I'm sure I can find a suitable alternative to using my hands to get you to comply."

It took a second for my brain to parse out his meaning and then my heart tripped into overdrive. "You wouldn't dare." I meant to sound offended, but my voice didn't quite cooperate. A flicker of something like excitement ran through me at the image that popped into my mind.

"Is that fear or something else that has your heart beating so fast?" He lowered his head slightly and took a deep breath "Doesn't smell like fear. Stand up Bella." He laid the brush down on the desk.

Like a puppet on the velvet strings of his voice I rose to my feet, my mind skittering away from examining exactly why his casual threat had taken us from getting ready for the flight to this strange new place. He untied my robe and pulled the soft sash free. I shivered as his hand grazed across my newly exposed skin. He moved to stand between me and the mirror. "Give me your hands."

Mutely I held them in front of me, palms up, my wrists almost touching. He turned them so that my palms were facing each other and then slowly, oh so slowly, wound the fabric around my wrists eventually tying the ends into a little bow before stepping behind me again. "Breathe, Bella. Take a deep breath." I took several, and my robe parted revealing a wider expanse of skin. He smiled and slid the sides of my robe further apart until I could see the reflection of my body in the mirror. I couldn't help the flush that rose as I watched his eyes flicker across my reflection.

"Blushing, wet, and submissive…it's a good thing we have a flight to catch Bella. Otherwise I might forget myself and never let you out of this room." He picked up the brush "Does it hurt you to stand?"

I shook my head, not trusting my lips to work much less my voice. He smiled at me lazily and started pulling the brush through my hair. My world reduced until everything I could feel; from the bristles against my scalp to the soft lining of the robe brushing against my hips was a caress. I don't know how long I stood there, but eventually Edward put the brush down again and I could feel that was my hair was nearly dry, flowing down my back in soft waves. He didn't untie me like I expected; instead he pulled the robe down my arms and stroked my skin until I was weak kneed and gasping, his eyes alight with a hunger I was rapidly learning to recognize as having nothing to do with blood.

"I love the way your skin feels." He sighed, "I should have scheduled things differently. I'm sure the car will be here soon to pick us up and I'd much rather take you back to bed. Now we'll both have to wait. It's your fault for being such a temptress." I laughed weakly – somebody was doing a lot of tempting this morning, and it definitely wasn't me.

"If we're not…" I took a deep breath to steady my treacherous voice "I don't think I can wear a robe to the airport. Security might object, not to mention the other travelers." I turned and held my arms up. "I assume you want to do the honors?" only to be met by that same arched eyebrow.

"What now? I know you're not going to tell me that you want to see me at the airport naked." I rolled my eyes at the thought; after all, he was the one ready to kill men for thinking about me with my clothes on.

"Of course not, you're mine. No one else will ever see you this way. However, it has occurred to me that you're handling all of this remarkably well. Why is that?" He cocked his head to the side, eyeing me quizzically.

I tried to shrug nonchalantly, but it was hard to pull off with so much of me exposed "We made a deal. I'm sticking to it. Isn't that what you wanted?" I could feel my heart revving up again, and even I wasn't sure why.

He pinched the bridge of his nose "I hope there's more to it than you sticking to our agreement."

"If I'm meant to hold a conversation, I'd like to do it with my clothes on." I held my arms out again, and when he didn't move, I tried to catch the end of the bow with my teeth. Frustrated when I failed and feeling faintly ridiculous, I hit him in the chest as angry moisture started to leak from my eyes.

His hand flashed out and the sash fluttered to the floor. Before I could move to find clothes, he captured my wrists again and pulled me to him. He eased my arms around him and stroked my hair gently whispering, "I'm not trying to upset you. This is just so much more than I was expecting and I'm trying to figure out how we got here. I didn't mean for it to sound like a cross examination."

I chuckled against his chest. "I'm being pretty cranky too and I don't know why. I think it just hit me that this was easy. And I'm not sure why it felt so…natural. I think I was expecting things to be this way without ever really thinking about it. Did that make any sense?"

"You were?" He pulled my robe up over my shoulders "I thought I was fantasizing about something that would never happen, and then you said submissive last night and it was like you were inside my head. And then this morning…oh god this morning." He shook his head, "It was beyond anything I could have dreamed."

I leaned back to look into his eyes "You were fantasizing about this stuff? Why didn't I know?"

"I seem to remember telling you several times that despite not being human, I am a man. What did you think I was doing while you were sleeping?" At the shocked look on my face, he guffawed. "Not quite that, but I was spending every night lying in bed with a beautiful woman. My mind has…wandered on occasion."

"How often did it wander to this?" Memories of our nights in my room flickered through my mind. "How long has it been wandering to this?"

He eyed me warily "Possibly longer and more often than you want to know." He stroked my hair again. "Does it really matter now? I meant it when I said I wanted to be able to take care of you. I would never try to make you do something you absolutely didn't want to do."

My mind was still flipping backward through the pages of our memories, something dancing at the edges of comprehension until the hand stroking my hair slid all the way from my scalp to my waist. "That first night, when I knew you were in my room. You were thinking about it then weren't you? Edward?" I stepped away from him slightly, determined to get a straight answer.

He looked away, abashed "I…how did you guess? It wasn't anything I was ready to examine, I knew it was never going to happen, and at that point I thought the fantasies would be enough."

"You kept grabbing my wrists that night. Before that, in Port Angeles, when you insisted I have something to eat even though I wasn't in shock. From the beginning, you were always telling me what to do. Announcing what you would _allow_ me to do." I couldn't keep the acid out of my voice at the word allow, it wasn't one of my favorite things to hear coming out of his mouth even now.

His eyes were still averted, but I heard him murmur "Always so observant. I didn't realize I was so obvious – or so overbearing. I am sorry for the times I went too far. In my defense, I wasn't trying to be a tyrant. Sometimes it just happened."

"You never had a reason not to act that way. I usually did as you said unless it was something I absolutely wasn't willing to accept." I tapped his chin waiting until his eyes met mine again, "This was never going to be any other way was it? Even when you were so convinced that I'd stay human. This was always where we were headed."

Golden eyes bored into mine, his voice dripping sincerity as he spoke. "Not if you didn't want it. It's not as though you've ever had a problem standing up to me when I was being an idiot. I wasn't even sure I was ever going to hint at it, much less find myself discussing it aloud. We can call off the deal from last night if this isn't something you want…"

I cut him off pressing a finger to his lips "You know that's not the problem. I just…we have to be able to talk honestly, especially about this, especially now. If this is us, then this is us. You wanted a wife and you have one, but there are no more unilateral decisions about our lives. No more bargains where only you know the real stakes."

He hung his head; his body language the very picture of a man that knows from hen pecked "Yes dear." I boggled for a second at his response, before I caught the sly look in his eyes.

For lack of a better comeback, I stuck my tongue out at him before moving to get dressed. "You'll want to wear something suitable for a hot climate." he warned me before swooping in to kiss me. It was just starting to get really interesting when the phone rang. As he moved to answer it, I dug into my suitcase looking for an outfit that matched the criteria.

"If I knew where we were going I could decide if that meant a sundress and sandals or a t-shirt, shorts and hiking boots." I knew the gibe was futile, he'd been very clear for weeks that I'd know where we were going when we were actually there, but I did it anyway.

He just smirked at me, but when I reached for a t-shirt, he shook his head so I pulled out a sundress. "Okay, we'll be ready." He hung up the phone and a broad grin spread across his beautiful face. "That was the car service. They'll be here in ten minutes."

"I'll be ready in two." I answered as I pulled on my dress. I sat down to put on sandals and caught him staring at me, his face pensive. "What's wrong? We're all packed, I have on the requisite attire and unless the elevators are all broken we should be able to make it downstairs right on time."

"I want you to do something, but I'm not sure if we're back to the way things were this morning." The longing on his face made my decision for me.

"If it's us, then it's us all the way." I smiled at him hesitantly. This was taking a whole new kind of bravery.

He glided over to me, leaned in, and said softly "I don't feel like having any barriers today."

"You don't want barriers. Barriers to what?" It took me a second, but then I remembered what he'd said the night before. "OH! You mean…I can't do that. What if I fall or my skirt blows up? Or the hem gets caught in an escalator or there's a goat loose in the airport that decides the flowers on the hem look like food?"

His voice shook with barely suppressed mirth. "I'll hold onto you so you don't fall and your skirt doesn't blow up. We'll use elevators and stairs at all times. Granted you have awful luck, but I doubt there will be rampaging goats roaming any of the terminals in the airport. Please Bella?"

I looked up to tell him there were limits, but he was looking at me in that way that turned off my brain every time. "I…that's not fair. You're dazzling me and you know it. When I'm a vampire I'm so going to use that on you." He just kept looking at me and finally I relented. Blushing, I managed to remove my panties and would have tucked them in the suitcase, but he held out his hand. I thought my face was going to melt when he gave them a sniff before tucking them into his pocket.

True to his word, he held onto me all the way downstairs and in the limo. I couldn't stop fidgeting once we were seated, especially after he pulled me into his lap and I could feel just how much he was enjoying my predicament. At one point, the limo went over a bump and I saw his eyes flutter shut when my balance shifted. I gave an experimental little wiggle and was rewarded with a groan. Delighted by the reaction, I did it again.

His face pulled into a tight smile as he whispered, "You keep that up, and I'm going to decide the privacy screen is completely sound proof and hope this car's shock absorbers can handle me taking my wife."

I couldn't keep from doing it again, as I said with a giggle, "I can't believe I never knew you were so kinky."

"I wasn't. Not until I met you. Now it seems like my brain can't resist conjuring up all kinds of wicked things." He slowly insinuated his hand up my skirt "For instance I'm starting to understand the appeal of the Mile High Club."

I slapped at his hand "Behave." But then, unable to resist teasing just a little more I scattered little kisses all over his face.

"Shouldn't you heed your own warning?" He trailed his fingers up and down my thigh, finally letting them rest just below the point where my underwear should have been, "You are sorely testing my self control right now. It's horribly unfair of you."

I put my lips close to his ear and breathed, "Who told you life was fair?" just as the car pulled to a stop. I scooted off his lap before he could respond and managed to paste a reasonably calm expression on my face as I slid out to wait for him to deal with the driver and our luggage.

"That's our gate right there," he said, as he took my arm. "Do try to remember that you've already agreed to let me spoil you for this trip." He led me away from the commercial desks toward a blank door.

I knew that tone of voice very well, "So you've gone ridiculously overboard again. Do I get to know how far overboard?"

"I think you'll figure it out soon enough, though I don't think it's truly overboard." We came to a security desk where after a perfunctory scan we were waved through to another door. I stepped out not into a hallway or even a waiting room, but directly onto the tarmac where a single fast looking plane sat with its door open, stairs reaching to the ground a few feet in front of me.

"You chartered a jet?! Only in your world is flying first class not a good enough way to travel." I was determined to handle it with good grace, and was just about managing to make a joke of it as we walked onboard until I noticed him eyeing me guiltily "YOU BOUGHT A JET!!"

"Technically…yes. But it's not just for us. Although we're the first ones to use it, it really belongs to the whole family. This way we can travel anywhere we like whenever we need to without having to be uncomfortable or worry about airline schedules. It'll be the perfect way for you to travel as a newborn, especially since Jasper and I both have our licenses. This way we won't have to stay in Alaska all the time. And when we're not using it we can rent it out to CEO's and celebrities that are looking to impress people. It's a great investment." His tone was placatory as he guided me into a seat that bore a striking resemblance to the couch in the Forks living room.

I opened my mouth to say something cutting while he buckled me in, but closed it as I realized there was really nothing to say. Not only had I already agreed not to complain about this, all the yelling in the world wouldn't change a thing. Whether I liked it or not, my new life was going to include money. Lots and lots of it. Mostly spent on things I'd consider frivolous. At least this particular insanity wasn't just Edward's flight of fancy. It was theoretically for the whole family. Sighing in defeat, I leaned back and closed my eyes. I kept them closed through the pilot's instructions for us to buckle up, taxing and takeoff using the time to find a place in my head where I could be calm no matter what else Edward sprung on me.

"Is that the face of a woman plotting my untimely demise or the face of someone planning to enjoy her honeymoon?" His tone was light, but I could hear the tension in his voice.

"I've talked myself around to leaving you alive. If there's chocolate I might make it to back to enjoying this trip relatively soon." I opened my eyes to find him dangling a chocolate covered strawberry in front of me.

"Will this do, or do we need to detour to San Francisco?" His eyes sparkled with amusement as I leaned forward to take a big bite. I didn't bother to protest when he fed me the plump sweet treat directly from his hand.

"This'll do. I suppose I don't need a Ghirardelli fix right now. Though, I think you get to ply me with those for the whole flight so that by the time we land, I'll be completely happy."

He laughed softly "I can think of a lot of ways to achieve that goal; but, we can start with fruit. I do love to watch your mouth move."

I unbuckled my belt and snuggled against him as soon as the pilot announced that we were free to move around the cabin. "Somehow I knew you'd find a way to make that dirty. What happened to the proper young gentleman I married?"

"He has been tempted and teased mercilessly by a most dangerous vixen until he's nearly past the point of reason." He nuzzled my ear gently, "I will try to be more circumspect if it bothers you."

Frowning I replied. "I never said it bothered me. I like knowing how you feel, I'm just teasing you."

"Again? You know I think you've done quite enough of that today. I've been most understanding, but my patience is wearing quite thin." His voice was stern, but his eyes were smoldering when I sat up to look at him.

Heat rolled through me when he pulled me into his lap so quickly I had to reach out to steady myself against the seat. He captured my wrists again, this time holding them securely behind my back. "Despite my earlier comments, I don't think I want to join any clubs today. But," his free hand slid under my skirt, "I do so enjoy watching you. And this seems the perfect way to pass the time, don't you agree?"

He flashed me a mischievous smile when I said, "I'd be all for it if we were alone, but in case you missed it there's another person on this plane." I shifted as much as I could in his grip "I don't fancy being the floor show."

He rolled his eyes "He can't hear us through the cockpit door. It is closed and will stay that way unless one of us goes and presses the buzzer. You don't think I'd try this otherwise, do you?" He shook his head, his voice slipping from seductive to deadly "I meant what I said Bella. You're mine and I don't plan on sharing. Nothing. Not even the sounds you make when we're together." He captured my lips in a heated kiss.

Something about his tone sparked the part of my brain that wasn't fogged by lust. But I couldn't put my finger on why the spark was lit, and his cool fingers were busy acquainting themselves with my thighs so I pushed it aside to be examined later. Flickers of heat surged across my skin anticipation of his touch. His nimble fingers stirred those flickers into a full-blown blaze that his kisses fed like oxygen. Distantly I noticed that I was moaning again, but this time I couldn't manage words. Just when I thought the fire would consume me his hand stopped moving. He didn't let me go, he just cupped my sex in his hand and kissed me softly on the cheek.

My eyes flew open to find him staring at me bemusedly. "I…uh…I wasn't exactly done."

"I know." His voice was calm, "Frustrating isn't it?"

I stared at him for several seconds with my mouth hanging open before saying "You did that on purpose? Why?"

"Because I wanted to. More specifically because you're developing a terrible habit of taunting me when you know I can't do anything. Turnabout is fair play." He grinned at me, "You're not the only one that enjoys watching their partner squirm."

"That's not fair. That's just mean." I tried to wiggle out of his lap, but he held me fast.

"No meaner than that little performance in the limo. Don't worry. I don't plan to deprive myself later, so you just have to be patient for a few hours." He adjusted his grip and stroked a thumb across my throbbing center. His voice darkened, "You'll enjoy this experience just like you enjoyed this morning. It is a very pleasant way to pass the time."

I shuddered "You're planning to play with me like this the whole trip aren't you? It won't just be waiting, you're going to keep me on edge until you decide it's time." I closed my eyes and rested my head on his shoulder, trying to regain some semblance of control "Do I at least get to know how long you're going to torment me?"

He chuckled "No. But I promise to do my best to keep your mind too occupied for you to watch the clock." He kissed my forehead "I love you Bella."

I gasped, "I must love you," as his hand moved against me again.


	3. Chapter 3

I tried bargaining, pleading, and at one point I'm pretty sure I actually resorted to begging. None of it swayed him. The only true respite I got was when he allowed me to have a human moment in the most luxurious bathroom I'd ever seen on an airplane before feeding me my lunch. It took everything I had to resist the temptation to ease my pain when I was out of his sight, but I knew he'd know what I'd done and for some reason I didn't want to disappoint him by ending this game before he wanted it to be over. So I used the facilities quickly and meekly returned to my place on his lap. His smile when I sat down and put my hands behind my back was brilliant and so full of love I couldn't regret my decision.

Not when he teased me right to the brink before going to wash his hands and get my lunch while I tried to remember how to breathe. Not during lunch when the tension between us was almost palpable as I slowly ate grapes from his hand and he spoke of how beautiful he found my submission. Not even when he decided that he needed to taste me afterward and had me lie back so that he could use his tongue until I was trembling again. He pulled me back into his lap and cradled me lovingly until the tremors stopped. For a brief moment I thought he'd finally decided to relent and let me have a little peace, but then his hands were on me again and I was back to skating on the edge of a pleasure so intense it was almost painful.

The announcement that we would be landing soon interrupted that final torturous climb but the break wasn't exactly a relief. When Edward freed my wrists and would have helped me back into my seat I clung to his neck and whimpered, "I'm going to be insane before we get wherever we're going. Why do you enjoy torturing me like this?"

He whispered "This isn't about torturing you. It's just not time yet, little one" as he removed my arms from his neck and secured me in my seat. "You've been such a good patient girl, now you just have to trust me when I say that your patience will be rewarded." His voice was soft, but his eyes were hungry when I looked into them "I think if you're honest with yourself you know that it made you feel good to obey my wishes. Be honest with yourself and with me. Was this really so terrible?"

Trapped in his gaze I felt compelled to give him as much of the truth as I had even though the idea of voicing my thoughts had my heart pounding like a jackhammer. "It made me feel a lot of things. I'm not sure whether or not good is on the list. I want you so much it hurts right now, and I want to please you. But those two urges seem to be mutually exclusive." I held my arms the same way I had in our hotel room, only this time my elbows were propped on my knees and I stared at my palms as I spoke, "It's like the more control I give you, the more out of control I feel. I'm doing things that I never thought I'd do. Things I don't think I ever even thought about doing, and it's so hard, and yet so easy to do them. My skin is suddenly too small and I'm struggling to remember how to function when I'm not restrained even though that just started this morning and it should be what feels foreign. I'm not sure that even made sense because I'm so scattered right now."

I tried to hide my face in my hands, but had to settle for letting my hair swing forward as he captured my wrists again in his left hand "Does this help? Or is it just making things more difficult?" His tone was mild, as though he was asking about the weather and not the twisted confines of his new bride's mind.

I peeked at him through the veil of my hair, half expecting his face to have assumed the remote blandness he hid behind when he was uncomfortable. Instead Edward's eyes were glittering with triumph, his beautiful face lit with a hungry smile. "Please answer me honestly Bella. I can't be sure that I'm doing the right thing if you edit your responses."

"It...uh...I think it helps. It's a little easier to focus." I was still too embarrassed to look at him directly as I said "Thank you for not thinking I'm a freak for feeling this way."

He arched one perfect eyebrow "That would be more than a little hypocritical since I'm glad I could make you feel this way. You have no idea how happy it makes me to know I'm not the only one mired in this wild tangle of emotions. Every time you do as I say...it thrills me in ways I can't explain. You can't understand how much this means to me. To know that you're willing to be this way, to do these things, it is everything." He pushed my hair back and kissed a trail from my lips down to my collarbone and back up again until I was breathless.

By the time the pilot announced we were at the gate I wanted to weep from frustration, but I consoled myself with the idea that the torment would soon come to an end. Edward wasn't in much better shape, his hands were gentle, but I could feel how tense he was as he helped me onto the tarmac. The clouds massing overhead did little to dim the beauty of our clearly tropical location.

In an effort to distract us both I said "It's so warm. And it's gorgeous. Where are we?" I peered around looking for a sign or something besides lush foliage and beautiful flowers, but I couldn't see anything aside from the plane and a waiting car.

"We are in Fiji, but this is not exactly our final destination. We still have a short boat trip ahead of us." He glanced down at me "And then we can finish our...discussion from the plane."

I smiled at his chosen euphemism, until the meaning of the first sentence penetrated. My stomach lurched. "How short exactly?" The prospect of getting into the car had been much more exciting before I knew a boat trip lay ahead, but I still slid into the back seat and tried not to let my body language betray me.

Ever observant, he noticed my discomfort as soon as he sat down. "Let me guess, you're not a fan of boats." He squeezed my hand gently. "Is it seasickness or have you just never been on one?"

"Bit of both. The one time Charlie tried to take me everything went wrong. Somehow the canoe sprung a leak and before we could make it back to shore we sank. I wound up covered in mud and nearly swallowed a live minnow whole which was beyond disgusting. That was my first and last off shore fishing trip." I was bright red by the end of my tale, and very happy that it was getting darker even though I knew that wouldn't hide my embarrassment from his scrutiny.

"That sounds...remarkably tame considering your usual luck. Well, my darling little danger magnet I can promise you'll be in something more stable than a canoe. And I won't let you accidentally ingest any of the local fauna while it's still alive." He smiled down at me "Though I think I may have to ask you not to move once we're underway. I'd hate to have search the ocean for you if you somehow managed to be pulled overboard by a wandering sea monster."

"Sea monster? Don't tell me those are real too. With my luck it'll smell me and decide I'd make the perfect lunch." I glanced up to see his eyes were alight with amusement.

"I can't say for sure, as I've never felt the need to roam the ocean floor to discover what lives in the depths. But we'll take all the necessary precautions for now since you smell so delicious. And later, after you're more durable we can come back and look if you'd like."

It hit me then that we could do anything after my...renovations."Roam the ocean floor looking for sea monsters...we could do that couldn't we? Oh wow. I could see EVERYTHING. Ooh, can we go to Egypt? Maybe try to see inside the Sphinx?" I hoped my giddiness over the possibilities could keep us in a place where for once he didn't sound upset at the prospect of changing me.

He laughed "If you like. We will have a lot of time together and exploring the secrets of the world is as good a way as any to pass the time. At least when we're not enjoying other...pursuits."

I couldn't help smirking at the subtext of that comment. "I don't think we can spend all of our time doing that, if nothing else Alice will want me to go shopping with her. That could take days, especially now that she can travel the world to do it."

"If those shopping trips include anything like last night's attire then I'm all for it." He grinned at me, "Mind you, I'm perfectly willing to forgo such fripperies, so don't feel obliged to go on any major jaunts with my sister." He twisted his perfect features into a mockery of a suggestive leer.

I laughed at the expression on his face, but my glee was short-lived as the car ground to a halt. Edward flashed me a smile and said, "Breathe Bella. I'll take care of you." before hopping out of the car. He collected our luggage and led me down the dock to a small white yacht.

"Just wait for me to help you on board." He moved quickly to load our bags on board, his long legs easily spanning the gap between the deck and the wooden pier. I stepped forward, but he waved me back and spent a couple of seconds bustling around checking things out. Apparently everything was satisfactory as he spun to offer me his hand, his beautiful eyes encouraging. I took a deep breath, took a step forward and promptly tripped. Fortunately he caught me before I fell, though there was a moment when I thought I was going to really regret my lack of undergarments. "I can't let go of you for 5 seconds, can I?"

"Nope. Guess you'll have to keep me close forever." I let him guide me to a seat as he chuckled softly.

"It's a tough job, but I think I can manage. The benefits are outstanding." He wrapped a blanket around me "It'll be a little chilly on the water and I'd hate for you to get sick." before he cast off and fired up the engines to get us underway. I tried to look at where we were going, but the rapid motion of the boat and the waves made me queasy. I finally closed my eyes in self defense rather than risk losing my lunch. Courtesy of Edward's love for speeding it wasn't long before we were slowing down again. "Just stay put love. I'll get our luggage unloaded and then I'll come get you."

I nodded, but kept my eyes closed hoping to give my stomach a chance to settle before I had to move again. Apparently sensing my discomfort Edward lifted me into his arms and didn't set me down until we were on dry land. He whispered bemusedly "Bella, you might want to open your eyes."

I opened my eyes and then promptly shut them again, the sight in front of me was so overwhelming. After a few heartbeats I risked opening them again. A string of torches lit a path up the beach to a beautiful cabin glowing in the moonlight. It was the only structure that I could see and I quickly realized that we were completely alone. "Edward, it's beautiful. Where are we?"

"It doesn't really have a name. You can name it if you like, all it has is a number. The deed to it was among my parents' papers, I think some great grandfather was awarded it as a boon for services to the Crown. I actually forgot about it for years." He took my hand and we started walking up the path.

"I was going to sell it when I ran across the papers again, but when Alice heard I owned an island she wanted to see it. Then Rose decided it could be the perfect getaway for her and Emmett's many honeymoons. Between her and Alice..." He shot me a look and I laughed at the image of him trapped between his sisters "I had no hope of peace, so we turned into a little private vacation spot. Everyone has been here over the years but me. I know how much you miss warm weather, and how much you love to lay in the sun. I thought this could be the perfect way to spend at least part of our honeymoon."

"You own an island. We're on a private island." For some reason Lauren's face popped into my head and I started laughing at the thought of her possible reaction "Oh man, I can't even tell anybody about this, they'd never believe me."

"I'm just glad you're taking it so well." He smiled at me giddily, and then the world shifted because he'd swept me into his arms. We almost flew up the beach and into the cabin. I caught a glimpse of a table covered in flowers sitting outside under the stars, but he didn't stop until we were inside the cabin standing next to a very big bed. I glanced at it and then back to him and the tension I'd managed to push to the back of my mind came roaring back. I kissed him, and it was like unleashing a flood. He maneuvered us both onto the bed, never breaking the contact between our bodies and then I ripped the buttons off his shirt in my haste to get to his bare skin. That made him pause in his efforts to ease my dress off, and I glanced up to find him blinking in shock.

"I'm sorry..." I started to stammer, embarrassed by my behavior. I just couldn't seem to control myself around him at all.

He pressed his hand to my lips "Don't you dare apologize. I just need a second to calm down. When you're so clear about how much you want to be with me it can be a very heady experience." He took a few shallow breaths before flopping onto his back "It's very hard to think clearly right now."

I grinned at him, "Now you know how I feel all the time." I knelt next to him on the bed and started kissing my way down his torso, "You've been driving me crazy all day." I unbuttoned his jeans, and was sliding the zipper down when he grabbed my hands.

"I meant it when I said I needed time to calm down. What I want to do right now, and what I can do right now are two very different things."

I recognized the firm tone of voice that usually meant we'd reached the end of the line, and I was not happy about it. "We established yesterday that this makes things easier for you. Why must you be so damned frustrating?!"

"I'm not trying to be frustrating. I'm trying not to accidentally hurt you. Or kill you. This place isn't near any hospitals and if I lose control even for a second..." He sighed "I know I promised to make the waiting worth it, and I will, but right now I don't have enough control to be sure I can keep in mind how fragile you are. Please my love, don't be angry at me."

The plea in his voice softened my anger, but I couldn't help shifting on the bed impatiently while I waited for him to compose himself. He chuckled softly every time I rubbed my thighs together, before finally saying "I'm almost tempted to tell you to relieve that little...itch yourself, but I'm not quite that generous. I want you to take off your dress Bella."

His voice was back to that same velvety command that had turned off my brain so quickly earlier, and I wasn't any better about resisting this time either. I scrambled to get my dress off and would have reached to touch him, but he shook his head. I let my hands fall back to my sides and he rewarded me with a laconic smile even as I reddened. "So beautiful." He stretched out one hand and gently stroked my breasts. "I know you don't see yourself very clearly, and we're going to work on that later. For now I just want to see you. See my beautiful wife. Do you know if I could, I'd keep you like this? Naked, and wanting, and in my bed."

"I think we can probably work that into our schedule. Well, except the wanting part." His fingers trailed over my stomach slowly and I shuddered at the idea of a repeat of what he'd done to me on the plane. "Edward please, I don't know if I can wait much longer."

"You could. If you had to. If I wanted you to wait. But, as it happens I don't want to wait either." He sat up, and I fell backwards. By the time I'd righted myself he'd managed to divest himself of his clothes before laying back down. "I had something else planned, but I think this will work out better for both of us. Come here Bella."

I crawled toward him and he groaned "What's wrong Edward?"

"My mind is determined to show me things I can't have right now." The look in his eyes promised it was something darkly seductive, and I shivered a little when I realized that I didn't need to know what it was to be willing to give it to him.

"You can have anything you want from me. I belong to you, remember?" I sat back on my heels once I was at his side, and some instinct had me put my hands behind my back and dip my head demurely.

He groaned again, then positioned me so that I was straddling him, before moving us both to the middle of the bed. I leaned forward to kiss him and he met me halfway. He murmured "You keep offering yourself to me my love. And though it may damn us both, I can't seem to refuse the gift." before plundering my mouth.

I felt his erection pressing against me, and my patience gave way. My wrists were cupped loosely in his hand, but he didn't stop me when I pulled them free. I had to break the kiss to see what I was doing, and we both moaned at the loss of contact, but the second my hand closed around him, he fell back onto the bed gasping.

His voice trembling, he said "Oh, God. I think if I just don't let myself move I can do this...but I might not be able to stop myself. You have to tell me if I'm hurting you. Do you understand Bella?"

I nodded vigorously, willing to try anything to still the persistent throbbing ache that had taken over my body. I fumbled a little trying to guide him into my body, but the sensation when the cool tip brushed against my heat gave me a deftness I'd never known was possible. I braced myself with one hand against his twitching stomach muscles and slowly slid myself down his length. It was like finding a piece of myself I'd never known was missing. It took everything I had to hold still and let us both adjust once we were joined, but my head was spinning and Edward hissed so loud I knew he was struggling too.

I wanted to ask him if he could handle me moving, but my body wasn't under my control any more. Waiting until I was sure we were both ready wasn't an option. It rose and fell in a rhythm that set my heart racing, while Edward shuddered beneath me and the built up tension of the day finally found a release valve. I was flying and falling, diving and drowning, climbing and spinning, burning and freezing all at once and it was wonderful. Pleasure raced through me so hard and fast that it hurt and still I couldn't stop moving. I tried to look at Edward's face, to see how what was happening was affecting him but it was impossible to keep my eyes open. It took everything I had to hang onto him. Suddenly all the feelings coalesced into one huge wave of intense pleasure and I was swept under just as Edward's hips started to buck against me. The feeling of him thrusting tipped me right into another orgasm just as I was starting to resurface and I found myself floating while my body spasmed and shook. Edward's back bowed abruptly, his voice harsh as he whispered "I love you". I could feel him relax under me after his release and I was vaguely aware that he was clutching me to his chest while my body shook. But, all I could do was ride out the sensations until finally my body was my own again and I was sprawled across his chest gasping for air.

"Bella, are you in there?" His voice rumbled in my ear.

"Mm...still me I think. Not sure." I shivered a little as my body finally figured out that laying on an ice cube wasn't exactly comfy despite our tropical location. He sat up still holding me against him and pulled a blanket over us.

"Are you okay? There's food if you're hungry or thirsty."

"Mostly I'm sleepy." As if to prove my point a huge yawn burst out of me. "I'm doing just fine besides this pressing need to sleep for a week. Are you okay?"

He laughed "Okay doesn't remotely begin to describe how I feel right now. Go to sleep my love, we'll talk when you wake up." He started humming my lullaby then, though I didn't need it. I was already slipping away into dreamland.

I awoke refreshed and alone. I had a moment of panic before I reminded myself that he loved me and had probably simply gotten up to tend to something while I slept. A soft "Edward?" was met with him appearing in the doorway bearing a tray of food.

"Hey beautiful. Did you get enough rest?"

"I think so." My stomach rumbled as he set the tray down. The bowl of chicken fettucine alfredo looked fabulous "Mm, that smells good. Did you cook?"

"Sort of, it's these prepackaged meals that Alice found on the Internet. They come with all the ingredients and sauces and stuff. I just had to follow the instructions. It was really easy."

"Thank you." I started to reach for the tray and he cleared his throat meaningfully. "Oops, sorry. I'm just really hungry." He nodded in understanding, but I still had to wait until he had me situated on his lap with my blanket before he scooped up the first mouthful. I tried to eat quickly, but he set a pace that forced me to relax into his embrace. By the time I'd finished the last bite it dawned on me that he wasn't holding my wrists and I still hadn't reached for the fork once. The look on his face told me he'd noticed too.

"Good girl." He set me back on the bed gently"There's dessert if you're still hungry. It's something involving several flavors of chocolate."

"Not right now. Maybe later." I was feeling sticky and I glanced around trying to figure out what else was hidden in this house "I could use a shower. Which way is the bathroom?"

"There's a door on the other side of that wall." He pointed to a short wall on the far side of the bed "Let me put this away and I'll join you."

"I'll wait for you in there." As soon as he left the room I scooted around the corner to tend to my other human needs as quickly as I could. By the time he returned I was standing in front of the shower trying to figure out why there was no wall on the other side of it.

"It's set up that way so that it doesn't get too hot in here. We built it to human specifications on the off chance that we'd want to rent it out when no one was using it."

"How did you know what I was thinking?"

"I've gotten very good at reading your face. Besides I was amused by it when we first got the plans drawn up. Esme based them off similar homes on other islands here." He reached past me to turn on the shower, "Is this too warm?"

I shook my head, so nervous once it hit me that I was actually taking a shower with him that I couldn't manage to speak. I stood under the spray for a few seconds letting the water soothe away fears about his possible opinion of my body that I knew were ridiculous.

He waited until I stepped out of the flow of water to say "You're very quiet. What are you thinking?"

"Nothing, I'm just thinking about the day is all. A lot happened." It wasn't really a lie, the new developments in our relationship were also on my mind. I tried to hid behind my hair so he couldn't tell that I was editing, but it was too wet to be much help.

"That's not all you're thinking about, but as I can guess the other parts so why don't we address everything at once?" My shampoo bottle appeared in his hand. I didn't bother trying to reach for it, I just turned my back so he could have at my hair while he spoke, "You're having one of your inexplicable moments of insecurity, and you're breaking the rules by trying to hide it from me. "Have I ever given you reason to doubt that I find you attractive?" His voice was gruff, but his touch was gentle as he worked the shampoo through my hair.

"No. I know that I'm being ridiculous when I get this way, that's why I wasn't going to say anything to you." He didn't say anything in response, and for a moment I thought that he was going to let it go. My luck has never been that good.

He just waited until my hair was clean and laden with conditioner before saying "We agreed on complete honesty didn't we?"

"Yeah, I just didn't want you to be mad at me..."

He leaned in and cut me off with a kiss "I do not understand why you insist on thinking these things, but I don't want you to hide them from me. I won't get mad at you." Soapy hands skimmed my body until every square inch of me was clean and very, very aware of his attraction to me. I tried to return the favor, but he wasn't feeling cooperative and in the end I found myself standing outside the shower wrapped in a large towel while he dried my hair with another one.

He was so quiet I finally spoke up "If you're not mad at me then why aren't you talking?"

"Because I have an idea that I'm trying to figure out how to bring up without you freaking out." His voice was melodious, "In the short term it is easy enough to simply tell you to do something, but this is more than just a momentary change. And I'd prefer not to upset you, but this is important to me."

I did my best to sound casual as I said "If it's that important to you just say it. How bad could it be?" Inside I was quaking, but I had disappointed him once that night, so I knew I wouldn't do it again by refusing his newest desire.

He pulled the towel away from my body and led me back into the bedroom. He stopped in front of a vanity table with a large mirror hanging over it and pulled me in front of him to face it. His hands on my hips held me in place. "This is my favorite view to in the whole world. We are absolutely alone for at least the next week. So, for the rest of the time we're here I'd like you to let me enjoy the view. No hiding behind your hair, no baggy t-shirts. Just you learning to be comfortable in your skin and me being able to see you all the time."

I didn't need to look at my reflection to know I was bright red. Instead I focused on his eyes in the mirror. That same dark seductiveness was back and I couldn't say no to it. I managed to nod my head, and his hands slid over my hips and up to cup my breasts.

"Do you know when you're the most beautiful?" He pressed a trail of kisses across my shoulders, "When you're coming apart in my arms. I love to watch you gasping and moaning and saying my name while I'm pleasuring you." One hand trailed down my torso, nimble fingers moving to stroke and pluck in ways that made my head swim. "Keep your eyes open." He chided softly, as he moved to press kisses down my back.

"I'm trying. You're making it very difficult." My legs started shaking when I realized what he intended to do-what he intended for me to watch him doing to me.

"Am I? Oh well, we'll have plenty of time to practice. I want you to try your hardest this time though. " He was almost kneeling now, still kissing his way to his goal.

I started shaking all over, and then his mouth was on me, all cold, firm, and utterly relentless in his efforts to drive me out of my mind. I did my best to keep my eyes open and focused on the mirror while he sucked and licked in all the right ways until I couldn't think straight. I watched my reflection coming apart for as long as I could and then everything went loose and distant when he slid his tongue into me and my eyes swept shut of their own accord. He gathered me into his arms when I stopped shaking and carried me over to the bed.

"Sleepy again?"

"No, I think I'm ready for dessert though. And something to drink. You're insatiable."I managed to sound almost grumpy, but he wasn't fooled by my tone.

His laughter bore a striking resemblance to a lion's roar "If you didn't insist on being so tempting I could probably learn to control myself."

"This from the guy that just told me he wants me to stay naked for...how long are we going to be here?"

"Depends, there's enough food to last a couple of weeks but I didn't know if there were some other places you might want to go. But no matter where we go, if we're alone I'm pretty much going to want you to be naked."

"So, basically you want me nude for eternity. I think you just like being tempted. You are the masochistic lion after all."

"And you're the lamb that fell in love with me. If I'm the masochist, then what are you?"

I didn't have an answer to that question so I settled for pouting. He kissed me of course and then sprang away, returning quickly with another tray. This time I settled myself into his lap and didn't resist when he set the pace. We talked about everything and nothing for hours until I drifted off to sleep in his arms.


End file.
